The Chemistry Test
by ImaginationOnFire
Summary: Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn's sporadic personal relationship is causing trouble for the squad. Louie Provenza gives them 48 hours to figure it out before he rats them out to Chief Taylor. Shandy story.
1. Chapter 1

The Chemistry Test

By ImaginationOnFire

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Chapter 1

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It was a Tuesday evening at Amando's, their favorite Italian restaurant. A few diners dotted the tables, and their voices seemed hushed in the quiet, Old World atmosphere. Lieutenant Andy Flynn arrived ten minutes before 8 o'clock and asked to be seated at a table toward the rear of the house. He stood up from his chair when he saw his boss, Captain Sharon Raydor, enter the restaurant.

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"Hey, Sharon," he said. His voice was solemn, as if he'd been anticipating this meeting for weeks, instead of just twenty-four hours.

"Andy," she smiled back.

She reached out to hug him, and he closed her in his arms.

Sharon relaxed, and there was no hiding how comfortable she had become in his presence outside the precinct.

Andy felt her melt into him, and he wished he never had to let her go.

Andy helped her into a chair, seated himself and was greeted by their waiter.

"May I take your drink order?" he asked politely.

Andy ordered water, and Sharon, a glass of wine.

"We have serious business to discuss," she purred. Andy nodded.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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"I am sick and tired of trying to figure you two out!" Lieutenant Louie Provenza hollered a day earlier.

Sharon Raydor had a look of shock on her face. Andy Flynn shrugged his shoulders, looking clueless. Provenza had called a meeting with the two of them in _her_ office, of all places.

"I have something to say, and I don't want to be interrupted," Provenza continued. "Every day for the past two months, I have come to work and not known what it would be like in here. Sometimes, you two are sweet on each other. Then, you're distant. And, thank God, some days you seem to have no effect on each other whatsoever!

"You may think," Provenza continued, "that whatever's going on between you is nobody's business. But guess what?! That's a small squad room out there, and what you're doing affects _everyone_!"

Sharon started to speak, "But—"

Provenza stopped and scolded her, "Oh, oh, oh! I'm not done, and you're interrupting."

Her eyes widened, but she shut her mouth.

Provenza looked at each of them, "I'm going to tell you something that you — out of all of the people in this division — don't know. You, Flynn," he wagged his right index finger at him, "are in love with the Captain."

Sharon gasped.

"And you, Captain," he pointed in her direction, "may not know what you want, but you _certainly_ like Andy." Provenza lowered his voice, "And you'd be crazy not to give him every chance to win you over."

Flynn replied, "Louie—"

"I am _not_ finished!" Provenza shouted and then calmed himself. "Here's the deal. You two figure out what you're all about. Once and for all! You have forty-eight hours."

Sharon giggled nervously.

"Don't think I'm serious, eh?" Provenza challenged her. "I have no problem going to Chief Taylor to tell him you two are dating. He'll be happy to remove one of you from the squad, and then maybe, I can get some peace around here!"

"You wouldn't!" Flynn exclaimed.

Provenza wagged his head. "Don't make me."

Sharon thought for several moments. She took her matter-of-fact stance, nibbled on the tip of her glasses, and sighed forcefully. "You're right, Lieutenant," she said, deliberately, "and I am so sorry for disrupting the work of Major Crimes."

Provenza nodded slightly, "Yes, ma'am."

"Andy," she said, turning toward Flynn, "shall we have dinner tomorrow night?"

Andy smiled sheepishly, "Spaghetti or sushi?"

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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"How's your spaghetti?" Andy asked.

"Delicious, as always," replied Sharon. "And yours?"

"Great, just great."

They talked small talk — work, their kids, and more work — until their meal arrived, and then it was time to get down to the matter at hand.

"Was the Lieutenant right about us?" Sharon asked, searching his eyes.

"He was right about me," Andy nodded. "Sharon, you're all I think about sometimes. I'm sorry, I just didn't want to scare you off. You make me want to be my best, and yeah," he sighed knowingly, "that makes me love you."

Her heart skipped a beat. "He was right about me, too. The thought of being in a new relationship terrifies me. And yet," she paused, "I can't imagine my life without you, Andy."

Both Sharon and Andy considered what they had said.

"I don't know if I can be 'just friends' for much longer, Sharon," Andy explained in a troubled voice. "It's making me crazy."

A pressure built in Sharon, but it wasn't from Andy's words. It came from her painful past, begging Sharon to let it go. It came from her inner child, telling Sharon she was tired of being hidden away and wanted to come out and play… with Andy. Without warning, tears streamed silently down Sharon's face.

"Aw, Sharon," Andy watched her, "don't cry."

"Can we go, please?" she asked him.

Andy summoned the waiter and paid the bill.

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"Andy, would you please take me home?" she asked him in the parking lot. She neither specified, nor cared, to whose home he would take them.

"Sure, let me help you in." Andy held his car door open, and once inside, Sharon made arrangements for patrol to pick up her car from the restaurant and take it to LAPD headquarters.

They rode in silence. Sharon considered the reality she was finally facing after years of disappointment, betrayal and loneliness. Rusty was a great kid, and he kept her life busy; but he was in college and would be out of her home in four years or fewer.

So what was Andy to her? A pet? A diversion? No! A thought hit her hard: He's my best friend, and I'm falling in love with him. Falling in love?! Conflicting thoughts bounced around her head like a child's super ball in an interview room. To say it was going to be hard for her to knock down the walls of the fortress she'd built around her emotions was an understatement. It took her decades to build them and to reinforce them. They keep me safe, she thought, and they keep me lonely…

Andy watched her think. Sharon had stopped crying, but he could sense a wealth of emotion within her. He decided to drive her back to her condo, knowing the kid would be concerned if she didn't return.

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><p>.<p>

"Hi, Sharon. Hi, Lieutenant Flynn," Rusty greeted them. One look, and he knew they wanted to be alone. "I was just going to take some homework back to my room before I turn in. Good night."

Rusty hoped he'd been polite enough. He did _not_ want to be in the middle of Sharon's dating life.

"Good night, honey," Sharon replied.

"Night, Rusty," said Andy.

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><p>.<p>

"Can I get you some water?" Sharon offered Andy.

"As usual," Andy grinned and nodded. "Thanks."

Andy was sitting on the couch when she brought the glass to him.

"I'm sorry about leaving the restaurant so suddenly," she apologized.

"It's okay," assured Andy. "You wanna talk about it?"

Sharon settled sideways to him on the couch, resting her elbow on the back cushion and propping up her head with her hand.

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure," she replied honestly. And then she had the craziest idea. It popped out of her brain and into her mouth before she had the slightest chance to consider it.

"Andy, would you kiss me?"

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Don't screw this up, Andy, a voice rang in his head. Sharon looked uncertain, and a kiss— well, a kiss seemed premature.

"You sure?" he asked skeptically.

With a few moments to think it over, Sharon realized its brilliance. There was no reason to knock down the walls of her protective fortress if she and Andy didn't have a physical attraction to each other!

"Andy," she offered earnestly, "we are the best of friends. Sometimes, friends can take it further, and sometimes, they can't." She breathed. "Let's be sure we have the chemistry we need to take us to the next level."

Andy felt his eyes roll. Aw, geez, he thought and stood up reflexively, massaging his forehead. Sharon was so damn logical! He was aching to touch her, to kiss her, and she was setting them up with a test?!

"I don't know," he said frankly, with one hand on his hip and the other rubbing the back of his head. Andy paused and then held his open hands out to his sides. "But my God, Sharon," he whispered, "I want to hold you."

His voice rasped, and Sharon was struck by the enormity of the risk he was taking.

"I will give you every chance," Sharon promised him and meant it. She loved him too much to let him down.

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><p>.<p>

Don't screw this up, Andy, the voice repeated.

"Okay," he joked, awkwardly, "but my lips are out of practice."

"Mine, too," said Sharon with a little smile.

Andy sat down next to her. Don't screw this up, his internal voice taunted, again.

Andy reached over and cradled Sharon's head in his hands. He leaned over to kiss her and stopped himself. Her eyes! They would tell him what to do. In how many police interviews had he learned the truth by reading these windows to the soul?

He moved a few strands of her hair to get a good look at her eyes, and she gazed back at him. She's frightened, he observed, and feeling vulnerable, too. But that wasn't all. Below the fear was her desire for him, as if it wanted to show itself but was too shy.

Don't screw this—Cut it out! The weak, internal voice that questioned his every move with Sharon for the last two years had never done him a favor. Leave me alone, he commanded it, I know what I need to do. A new, confident voice pushed its way through: You can do this, Andy. Give it all you got.

Andy had dreamed of learning every inch of her. He'd start with this kiss, and he'd pace himself. Her eyes told him she wasn't ready for fireworks-style passion. Her eyes told him that what he really wanted to share with her was what she needed, too.

Andy would watch her every expression. It was the ninth inning, with two outs and a full count. The bases were loaded, and his team was down three runs. He'd have to hit it out of the park.

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He let his hands drop, and she questioned him, "Andy?"

Andy shook his head. "Shhh," he whispered, briefly placing his index finger on her lips.

With his right hand, he stroked her hair and then cradled her head. With the fingers of his left hand, he slowly, slowly traced her hairline from her forehead to her ear, down her neck and then back up and along her jaw. Her breaths came faster, and a sigh of delight escaped her lips.

Andy kissed Sharon's face tenderly: Her forehead. The bridge of her nose. Her eyes, now closed. Her left cheek, her jaw line, her right cheek. Her chin. Her trembling lips.

"Andy…Andy," she murmured with pleasure as he covered her with kisses. It had been so long since a man had loved her like Andy was loving her. When he arrived at her lips, she drew him close to her and kissed him back, tenderly and passionately, drinking in his touch, his smell, and his love for her.

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><p>.<p>

The walls of Sharon's proverbial fortress shattered under Andy's caresses. Relief poured over her as she realized she didn't need them anymore, not with Andy. The moment was overwhelming, and as they pulled away from each other, Sharon's tears gushed forward. Andy held her and rocked her. The old wounds from Jack and from her own mistrust of the world would heal with the comfort and love of her best friend.

Andy held her, and it was better than he ever imagined it would be. As he stroked Sharon's hair and rocked her softly, he did what he'd thought impossible: He fell more deeply in love with her.

"You okay?" he asked, after her tears subsided.

Sharon wanted to confide in him. "A long time ago, the sweet, innocent girl inside me was hurt, and I created a safe haven for her by distancing myself from people. For the longest time, I thought she had disappeared, but then, you came along, Andy." Sharon paused and inhaled deeply. "I know she wants to come out to laugh and play, but I'm not sure how to reach her."

He kissed her forehead gently.

"Will you help me?"

He tightened his arms around her and kissed her hair. "Yeah. We'll find her together."

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><p>.<p>

It began to get late. Andy sat lengthwise on the couch, and Sharon leaned into him with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her midsection and nuzzled her neck while she explored his fingers with her own.

"I guess I need to get home," Andy said, regretfully. "But, thank God, we passed the chemistry test," his voice dripped with playful sarcasm.

She wanted to tease him. "Andrew Flynn," she purred, "don't be so sure."

He pulled back from her, shocked at her words. "What?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to repeat the test," she smiled slyly, as she turned to face him, "again and again—"

Andy covered her lips with his.

"Mmmm…," she happily surrendered.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Russell Taylor was angry. Outraged, even.

"Chief Taylor," insisted Sharon, "you know as much as I do that we have to disclose this. The rules—"

"The rules, Captain Raydor, do not give a damn about my budget or my manpower problems. The rules do not know that your Lieutenant Flynn—"

"I'm standing right here, you know," Andy interjected sourly.

"—that your Lieutenant Flynn," Taylor continued, "is not easily or readily replaced in the Major Crimes Division. Nor are you, Captain Raydor!"

Raydor and Flynn, standing a few feet apart from each other, went silent. Assistant Chief Taylor paced the floor behind his desk. My God, not now, he thought. Yes, it was common for officers to develop feelings for each other. How many years ago had Brenda Johnson dealt with that fiery relationship in her squad? It may have been a mess, but neither Gabriel nor Daniels had been cornerstones of the squad. Nor did they report to each other!

"This is a nightmare!" Taylor ranted.

Sharon and Andy stared down at the floor but shared a small, knowing grin with each other. Thankfully, Chief Taylor missed it with his continued pacing.

"You may not date…," Taylor started and stopped, frustrated with the words he was trying to form. "You may not _appear_ to be dating in this building. Captain, I know your appreciation for the rules, but this is a direct order."

"Chief," Sharon said smoothly, "we can keep our relationship platonic here in the building." She nodded to Andy who nodded back. "But,—"

"I know," the Chief interrupted, "the rest of the squad will know. You take your squad, you pass along my direct order, and then, you keep your personal lives at home. As soon as I can, I will reassign one of you. But, hell, that could be years from now."

"Yes, Chief," Raydor nodded.

"And don't you _dare_ get married without telling me," he ordered. "I do not want your marriage certificate appearing on Chief Pope's desk so he can cram it down my miserable throat."

"Yes, Chief," Flynn and Raydor replied together, smiling broadly at each other.

"And one more thing…" he said calmly as he walked from out behind his desk. "Good luck to you. You _are_ good for each other."

"Thanks, Chief," said Andy, giving Taylor a firm handshake.

"Thank you, Chief," said Sharon, giving him a warm, unexpected hug.

Taylor shook his head and grinned after the door was closed again. Andy Flynn's showing new confidence, he thought, and Sharon Raydor is giving hugs. Hell, I may never separate those two…

The End.

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><p>BUT WAIT! There's more... "The Ambush" continues the adventures of Shandy and presents the Major Crimes Division with a puzzling crime to solve.<p>

AND! The finale of Major Crimes, Season 3, left us hanging with Phillip Stroh on the loose, until the story of "Operation Magnet" also on this site.

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